Top Letters And Comments, January 11, 2019

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Remembering Herb Kelleher

Just wanted to say thank you for publishing Myron Nelson's beautifully crafted remembrance of the late Herb Kelleher. It was spot on. I was privileged to oversee the induction ceremony of Herb in 2008 (along with Sean Tucker and two others), while serving as Executive Director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame. By that time, I had known Herb for three years, but it felt to all of us at the NAHF that we were welcoming a lifetime friend to Dayton for the "party." One volunteer recalls going out during the ceremony to grab a smoke, only to find it was Herb that gave him a light!

The stories are legendary - and countless. I am grateful to have additionally had his enthusiastic participation in the National Aviation Heritage Invitational along with other NAHF enshrinees at Reno annually. Unforgettable times. He was a titan of the business community but did not act like it. We all benefit from his legacy. Thanks again to Myron for sharing. He is not alone in his admiration for this innovative maverick of American aviation and commerce. R.I.P. Herb Kelleher.

Ron Kaplan

Herb was man who knew the value of his employees, appreciated them, and encouraged them to grow as professionals in their respective jobs. That pride in demonstrated performance is always refreshing whenever I board a SW flight. His humor was infectious. He looked at his company and its employees as something to protect while nurturing it's growth. That is rare in the business world today, airlines or otherwise. He promoted a company philosophy that every employee counts and the customer deserves the best employees. Great article. Thank you for sharing from an employee’s perspective.

Jim Holdeman

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to fly Southwest on Halloween night. It was truly an example of Herb's influence on having fun at work. The gate agent was Frankenstein, complete with green skin and a bolt through his neck. One of the flight attendants was impressed that I guessed his costume as a character from the obscure movie, A Clockwork Orange. That actually netted me a free drink. And, nothing inspires confidence in the crew as seeing your captain, dressed in a tutu, enter the cockpit. Rest in peace, Herb. You will be missed.

John McNamee

Government Shutdown

With the FSDO's closed, you can't get ferry permits. I have a C182 stranded.

Larry Stencel

Another effect on GA: no approvals of operating limitations so no airworthiness certificates for newly completed homebuilts. I got this email on Friday: From: _________ Sent: Friday, January 4, 2019 1:40 AM Subject: Automatic reply: Operating Limitations for your approval I am not in the office due to a lapse in funding. I will respond to your e-mail upon my return. If you need immediate assistance, please call ___________. Aviation Safety Inspector, Mfg.

Art Zemon

SpaceX Releases Image Of Spaceship

"Operational Starships would obviously have windows, etc." Not totally obvious. It's largely dark out there, and windows are heavy. Multi-spectrum cameras might be the way to go.

Thomas Boyle

The photograph included with today's SpaceX article is extremely misleading. That is not a photograph, but rather a rendering of a fantasy. Please do a quick internet search and examine what it actually being built in order to understand how ridiculous this 'starship' project is.

An honest publication would put out a correction with a photograph of what is actually being built which resembles a billionaire’s junior high science project. SpaceX has had several failed fundraising attempts recently and this 'starship' just reeks of desperation if you examine what is actually being built.

Scott Stearns

Looks like something out of a cartoon, or a 1950's space movie.

Thomas Ibach

Bernoulli Effect Letter

Good morning! Let me begin by saying that I really enjoy AvWeb and the articles that it provides, and it was nice to meet Paul at XPonential 2018 in Denver last May. Having studied aerodynamics (undergraduate through Ph.D.) and having taught it for 14 years in the Aerospace Department of Middle Tennessee State University to pilots (student through CFII) and engineers, I have found that misconceptions concerning lift production are pervasive in aviation.

Fluid dynamics is a conceptually and mathematically rich field full of nuance and intuition defying relationships. Pilot focused literature and CFI-to-student lessons are fraught with oversimplifications (or errors) on aerodynamics, particularly lift production. Even among those who study and conduct research in this field, there can be disagreements about what description of lift is more basic/fundamental; however, a correct and simple presentation of lift production is possible. The Bernoulli Effect letter presented in AvWeb Flash betrays a lack of understanding of the topic that would more than likely cause confusion for anyone without a firm grasp on the subject.